Described by Kofi Annan as "the Band Aid for the internet generation", the song is the first time such a long list of world celebrities has recorded a campaign track in protest of global warming and climate change. It is also the first ever global music petition: the track is available free online and downloading it automatically adds the listener to the campaign petition: "Tck Tck Tck, Time for Climate Justice".

The music and film stars – ranging from Fergie, Mark Ronson and the Scorpions to Youssou n'Dour and the French Oscar-winning actress Marion Cotillard – see the song as part of a global movement to force world leaders to strike a better deal than that made at Kyoto. Already 1.3 million people have signed the petition for a binding deal at Copenhagen. The song hopes to add millions to that list. Each individual who downloads the track and video, will become a "climate ally" alongside supporters such as the archbishop Desmond Tutu. The song was conceived as a post-Live Aid approach to digitally reach as many listeners as possible in the shortest time.

The Australian band Midnight Oil specially rewrote their 1987 hit Beds Are Burning with lyrics warning against the impending climate change disaster. The band waived their rights, enabling the song and its video to be downloaded for free. The track was recorded in studios in Paris, London and New York and cut together in less than a few months.

Annan, the former UN secretary general who now heads Geneva-based Global Humanitarian Forum, which backs the campaign, said the theory was that the celebrity music initiative could "create such a noise our leaders won't be able to ignore it".

Already politicians have rushed to endorse the petition, including Gordon Brown, Ed Miliband and Peter Mandelson, who called for British business to come on board.

Annan said the drive would be successful if the critical mass of global listeners adding their name to the petition forced world leaders to act fast for an urgent post-Kyoto agreement.